The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c15.s3: 3. The Language and the Metres of the Mudrārākṣasa
The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c15.s3
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3. The Language and the Metres of the Mudrārākṣasa
c15.s3.1
The Sanskrit of the Mudrārākṣasa is classical, and the Prākṛits number three, for, in addition to the normal Çaurasenī and Māhārāṣṭrī, Māgadhī is used by the Jain monk, by Siddhārthaka and Samiddhārthaka as Caṇḍālas, by a servant and an envoy. We may take it that Viçākhadatta wrote from the grammars, and this is confirmed by the fact that we find in some of the manuscripts traces of the carrying through of characteristic Māgadhī features, *ññ* for *ṇṇ* for Sanskrit *ny*; *hk* for *kṣ*; *çc* for *cch*, *st* for *sth*, *st* for *ṣṭ* and for *ṣṭh*, and the usual *ç*, *l*, and *e*. It is possible, of course, that these are no more than restorations by scribes, but they may easily be more venerable. It is also interesting to note that there appear traces of Çaurasenī verses, which is perfectly possible, as the theory does not necessitate all persons who use Çaurasenī in prose singing in Māhārāṣṭrī; that is given as requisite for women only, and in this play they are men who use these Çaurasenī verses.
c15.s3.2
The metres most used are Çārdūlavikrīḍita (39), Sragdharā (24), Vasantatilaka (19), and Çikhariṇī (18); the Çloka occurs also 22 times. Other metres are sporadic, save Prākṛit Āryās; they include Upajāti, Aupacchandasika, Puṣpitāgrā, Praharṣiṇī, Mālinī, Mandākrāntā, Rucirā, Vaṇçasthā, Suvadanā (iv. 16), and Hariṇī.